Ummm...Speed limits are posted in KMH not KMS so just an average of 65 KMH roughly equals 40.39 MPH. How is this special? Is she 8u? Just sayin...
Joke much?
Ummm...Speed limits are posted in KMH not KMS so just an average of 65 KMH roughly equals 40.39 MPH. How is this special? Is she 8u? Just sayin...
As soon as she has 50 a coach will want 55. As soon as she has 55 somebody will want 60. I want her to be able to comb her hair when she's 40.
i think we're getting off the topic? has anyone seen a 12u national tournament? if so, what were the top pitchers in that tournament throwing???? and did any of them have a riseball?
Ok, so I have been to a number of these. Most recently the USSSA world series in Orlando and the lead up events to it (where most of the same top teams were).
The answer is - it depends. There were certainly girls who were approaching 60 or even beyond it. That didn't mean they didn't get hit though. The pitcher I thought was throwing hardest got rocked because it was all she had. The better teams were sitting on that fastball and hitting it hard.
Riseballs - there were a few who seemed to throw it well - but most of the time it was just a 'high fastball' that they were calling a rise.
There were also a lot of very, very successful pitchers in the low 50's (some maybe not even that fast) who moved the ball and hit their locations much better and were significantly more successful because of it. Enough speed to be dangerous and enough change of speed and movement to be downright deadly. There was one girl in particular where every out seemed to be an easy ground out to an infielder or a simple popup. She didn't look physically imposing but innings flew by when she pitched.
Softball seems to be even worse than baseball when it comes to speed of pitchers and the acceptance of pitchers who do not throw really, really hard. It is OK to not strike out everyone and no need to have to overpower every batter. I spend a lot of time with my pitchers reminding them that when they get the batter to ground out easily that they won that 'at bat'.
Ricketts, my example, was nailing 65-67 on the gun with every curve ball. So I went to see her in person and they were all the fastest pitches I have seen in person, and were so every time and were within a few inches of each other in placement. Eventually the hitters caught on, then she mixed it up with different pitches, not the same pitch thrown slower.
Pitchers change speed by taking fingers off a movement pitch or by pitching a different pitch, not usually with tweaking a fastball.
It is difficult to throw a fastball a different speed for example, and if it is straight, why give the hitters just what they want, especially late hitters. A change is so slow and it falls naturally, it works better.